Something Missing
by kelanwyld
Summary: EvilRegals who love all Regina ships! This is a Regina-centric story with varying scenarios: PirateQueen, EvilCharming, OutlawQueen, SwanQueen, RegalBeliever. Please review, or let me know what you think. Happy Reading!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Regina stood on the landing, listening to the sounds of her family down below. She grinned when Gillian's lilting voice carried up the stairs.

"It's my turn for the syrup, you've poured enough!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep your skirt on. Here." Lianna's snarky bark issued next.

Regina shook her head and started down the stairs, smiling as she heard the third occupant of the kitchen clear their throat. Upon hearing Regina's heels click on the floor, the three of them turned their eyes on her.

"You look pretty this morning," Regina spoke to her clearly girly minded daughter Gillian, who was all dolled up in a flashy pink skirt, white tights, and pink and white striped shirt. Gillian's rich, black hair was perfectly straightened, framing her face and reaching almost endlessly down her back. Regina bent to kiss her forehead before zoning in on Lianna. "That shiner of yours is fading some. Maybe you can see fit to let it go away altogether before getting a new one?" She raised her fist at Lianna, who bumped her own, albeit with still bruised knuckles, against her mother's.

"I'll try, Mom." Then both girls dug into their pancakes, one like a locomotive late for a deadline, and the other daintily cutting and chewing precisely before swallowing.

It always amazed Regina how different her two girls were. Gillian was nearly flawless in her looks and her manners. Lianna, on the other hand, always appeared as if someone had dressed her from the pile of clothes even Goodwill discarded. To top it off, her dark hair was a crazy mass of short layers that were lucky to see a comb once a month. Regina turned her attention to the third occupant of the kitchen. "Good morning, sweetheart."

"Good morning, love." Killian bent his head to peck Regina on the lips as he handed her a cup of coffee. Smiling, he couldn't resist placing a hand on her hip and pulling her a bit closer. "You look dressed to kill, today," he whispered against her ear after taking a good long look at her black knee length pencil skirt, white button down shirt – with one too many buttons undone – and crisp black blazer.

"That's the plan," she whispered back and gave him a sly grin before kissing him a bit more fully. A delicate hand rested against his chest as they broke contact and Regina looked up at him with a smile in her eyes. "If the debate goes well today, I should have the entire election wrapped up."

Killian chuckled and smiled back down at her, his lazy grin reaching his eyes, one eyebrow raised. "Sweetheart, there's no one out there who's ever buried you in a debate. I don't think they'll start now."

Regina fisted his shirt in her hand, giving him a seductively hard stare, before replying with, "I always look forward to our celebrations after my wins."

Killian pulled her hips closer to his, "As do I, love."

Taking a deep breath, Regina remembered their girls were present and backed away a hair's breadth. "What's on your agenda today? Your attire is…seaworthy." She noted the Dockers, boat shoes, and casual Henley her husband wore.

"I'm putting the Coral Medallion through her paces today. If all goes according to plan, she'll be sold and in her new Florida home by the end of next week." Killian grinned brightly. His love for fast ships and old world craftsmanship had made him a name in the boat building community. The Coral Medallion was his latest and greatest, to date, ship to set sail from their harbor.

Regina twined her fingers with Kilian's prosthetic ones on his left hand. His own wrapped around hers in return. When their lives had finally settled down in Storybrooke, and they were expecting their first child, Killian realized his hook wasn't exactly conducive to fathering an infant, not to mention boatbuilding would be so much easier with two hands. So, at the urging of his wife, he'd sought out the latest technology and acquired a robotic prosthetic hand that was just as good, if not better, than his real one.

Just then the school bus honked. Gillian carefully got up to place her plate in the sink, but Lianna shoved her out of the way, stomping one heavy black boot on her delicate slippers and elbowing Gillian in the stomach before dumping her plate in the sink hard enough to leave, yet another chip on the edge. With a mumbled "sorry" to her sister, and a half-hearted "whoops" to her mother regarding the plate, Lianna grabbed her dingy black backpack before rushing out the door.

"Tell him to wait!" Gillian called out to Lianna as she tried dusting the boot print off her shoe.

"Yeah, yeah!" Was the reply they all heard as Lianna waved her hand backwards, in too much of a hurry to be bothered with anything more.

"Are you sure she's not adopted?" Gillian asked as she gathered her own immaculate backpack and opened the door gently.

Regina nodded her head. "I'm sure. Six hours of hard labor will attest to that." Regina smiled at her oldest before Gillian practically glided down the stairs.

"Are we sure she's not adopted?" Killian snickered with a tip of his head, watching his overly feminine daughter prance away.

Regina sighed. "You were there, skillfully giving me your new hand as I bore her."

"I had to break it in properly." Killian smirked.

Rolling her eyes, Regina replied, "Your right just couldn't handle my grip."

Killian grabbed wife in his arms and bore her back against the counter. "I can handle anything you dish out, love."

"I'll keep that in mind tonight, after I win the debate." Regina pressed her lips to his one last time before extricating herself from his arms for the day.

Killian grabbed his keys off the counter and winked at her as he headed out the door. Regina stood in the doorway for a long time after he'd disappeared from the driveway. Sipping her coffee, Regina reflected that her life couldn't be more rewarding or fulfilled. For those reasons, it completely disturbed her when the nagging ache in the pit of her stomach cried for more. There was just something missing.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

She whipped her head around, ignoring the tip of her braid scoring her cheek as the horse galloped, full force, across the terrain. Her would-be pursuer had vanished from sight. Not quite ready to revel in victory, Regina, urging the young stallion to harder strides, smiled devilishly, a mock evil gleam in her eye. Then, without any warning, another rider came at her from the trees to her left and vaulted from his own horse, landing precisely behind her on her horse's bare back. He reached around and grabbed the reigns, pulling tight enough on the bit to cause the spirited stallion to rear up in surprise. Both riders clutched his sides with practiced legs that were strong enough to hold their mount as they leaned into the horse's neck. When the animal was again on all fours, he pranced excitedly, his eyes rolling with barely contained sanity as he fought to control his desire to take off again at full gallop.

Regina felt the threatening press of her captor against her back, his hot breath heavy in her ear, his arms still securely wrapped around her to prevent her escape. "Caught. Your Majesty." His words were a mere whisper, but they sent shivers down her spine.

Regina steeled her back, straightening against him. "You've won, Your Highness," her words were ground out through clenched teeth.

His arms dropped to her waist, tossing her effortlessly in the air, with a little twist, so when she came back down she was facing him, her leather bound legs straddled over his. He reached his arms around her to secure her mount on both him and the horse as the beast sidestepped from the sudden shift in weight. "That's Your Majesty."

Eyes narrowing, she pressed her hands to his chest before snaking them around his neck and whispering against his mouth, "Only because you married into that title."

He smiled as he grabbed her backside and pulled her closer, "That I did." Giving her a sterner look, he added, "What were you thinking? Carinaster will never be another Rocinante." He heeled the horse's side just a bit to get him walking gently.

Regina matched the rock of the horse with the rock of her hips on the man beneath her. A deep growl issued from low in her throat, "No, he won't, but Carinaster still needs to know that I trust him, and in turn, that he can trust me. You, on the other hand, should stop him from walking before I am past the point of trusting myself to remain clothed."

"You think it's too soon for Carinaster to learn what we taught his predecessor so long ago? Making love on the back of a horse certainly has its perks." Regina's companion raked rough hands up her back and locked them in her hair before pulling her face down to his.

"Mom! Dad!" Three teenage voices called out across the open meadow, one distinctly deeper than the other two.

"Three of those perks are coming our way right now. Don't you think you should let me go?" Regina lifted one eyebrow in silent challenge, even as she fought to maintain her own control.

This time the smile that was returned reached all the way to his eyes, crinkling his nose in the process. "Not on your life. I'm not ashamed to show our children how much in love with their mother I still am, after all these years."

Regina placed another kiss on his lips as Carinaster turned toward the oncoming group by way of direction from his rider's legs. "You sure have trained him well," he spoke to Regina, "as always."

The twins reached their parents first, long flowing blonde curls tumbling to their waists. The girls began speaking at once, each finishing the other's thought as was their regular custom since they learned to talk.

"You almost…" this from Tressalyn.

"Had him, Mom." Glindella finished.

Their son arrived then, his rich black hair such a striking contrast to his sisters'. But his eyes were as blue as the morning sky, reflecting his father's image in them as well as his personality. He was also their eldest, but even at 18 still refused to be called anything but Davy. His horse sported saddlebags full of picnic foods, one bottle of wine, and one bottle of sparkling cider. Ever the gentleman, always thinking of others first, he also had his father's horse by the reigns, leading him to the pack.

Upon Davy's arrival, said father tipped his head toward his son. "Might I remind you that your son is the prince, and therefore wears the title of Your Highness."

Regina tossed her head toward the sky and laughed before coming back to stare in her husband's eyes. With a sigh that sounded more like a huff, Regina rolled her eyes and spoke, "Well, King Charming just doesn't have quite the right ring to it."

"She has you there, Dad." Then Davy turned to his mother. "I thought you might be interested in something to eat after your little escapades."

David leaned into Regina's ear, "Didn't quite make it to all the escapading."

To which Regina responded, sifting her fingers through his close cropped hair, "Maybe later."

They all dismounted, the three teens from their saddles and their parents from Carinaster's bare back. Davy spread out a blanket, and the twins set out the food while David and Regina led all the horses a short distance away. The horses were interested in grazing, but none of the humans were interested in what tended to come out the opposite end as they did so. Didn't make for a very pleasant meal. David and Regina returned, hand in hand, stealing glances at each other and sharing nuzzles as they walked. The five of them sat down and enjoyed the picnic Davy had packed for them.

Once his parents were halfway through their bottle of wine, Davy spoke up, "So, I wanted to ask you both something."

"I do believe your son is trying to loosen us up." Regina tipped her glass to David indicating she didn't miss the not-so-subtle way Davy had kept pouring her drinks.

"Indicative of a true Charming, my dear." David clinked his glass with hers and his opposite hand caressed her thigh. Addressing their son, he spoke, "Ask away."

"I was hoping you might let me buy another stud to breed Mischca with. I've been doing some research and I believe, for the right price, we could acquire Silver Dollar."

David whistled, "At what price? Your sisters?"

"Dad!" They both cried, and Regina connected her bare toe with his backside. She'd removed her boots before taking her place on the blanket, as they all had.

"That's a pretty ambitious proposal, Davy." Regina took another sip of her wine, eyeing her son over the rim of the glass. Silver Dollar had won the last Triple Crown, but had taken an injury during a training exercise just two weeks later. Though the lameness had subsided and the injury was healed, his owner chose to retire him. Rumor had it he was much sought after, now that he'd been put to pasture. Regina and David had made quite a name for themselves in the thoroughbred industry over the years, since putting Rocinante's stock on ice and utilizing it for artificial insemination on their prize winning mares. More than one of their horses had competed in race for the Triple Crown, but none had succeeded, thus far. They weren't beyond having their own horses sought after and knew Silver Dollar's owner would be looking for top price.

At this point Tressalyn and Glindella averted their eyes from the group and started thumb wrestling with each other, which was something they always did when a difficult subject was about to be broached. Clearly, the three offspring had shared knowledge their parents were just hearing about. This didn't go unnoticed by either Regina or David. Regina decided to make it easy on Davy and practically ordered him to speak. "Okay, out with it," she said as she put her glass down.

Davy cornered his eyes to his father, who offered no help whatsoever, other than a raising of his eyebrows and a shrug of his shoulders. This was obviously something that was going to hit Regina the hardest if his son was looking to him for support. Davy closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and spit it out, "We could have Silver Dollar on an even trade if we gave his owner the rest of Rocinante's sperm."

Collectively, the four of them held their breath and together turned curious, if not slightly fearful, eyes on Regina. Regina's gaze never wavered from Davy's, though she could see the anxious expressions of her other three family members in her peripheral vision. She knew what it was costing Davy to suggest such a thing. Rocinante had been hers since he was foaled. She'd loved him, cared for him, raised him, trained him, conceived all of their children on him, and even went into labor both times while they were out galloping across the fields together. She'd bred him with their mares, then bought new mares when the gene pool became too shallow. She'd carefully collected and stored as much sperm as possible to be certain they had his genetic material on hand for the unforeseeable future. Then she'd buried him under the oak tree, taking two days to dig the hole all by herself, when it finally came time to say goodbye. Yes, they all knew how much she loved Rocinante and to ask her to give up any part of him was like asking her to give up one of them. However, Regina also understood the need to keep the Charmills Farm running for as many years as her offspring, and their offspring, etc. wished. She was proud of her son for asking the hardest question of his life, thus far, and prouder still at his vision. She knew, deep down, it was the wise thing to do, the right thing to do. Later, after they were alone in their room, she would cry on her husband's shoulder and mourn what she must let go in order that her family might continue to thrive. No, Carinaster would never be another Rocinante, but he would be the last of his lineage she would ever foal again.

After what seemed like an eternity, Regina took a deep breath and smiled, "I think we need to see a man about a horse."

The others let out their breaths all at once, their shoulders relaxing, eyes closing in relief. Tears in his eyes, Davy knew what this was costing his mother, but he couldn't be more proud of her pioneering mindset. He leaned across the blanket and wrapped his arms around Regina in a tight embrace. "Thank you," he whispered.

Regina squeezed him back, one hand falling into David's offered one in the process. She smiled a watery smile at him as he gave her an empathetic one in return. With as good and as right as everything felt, her astounding family, her wonderful life, she just couldn't shake the nagging thought that something was oddly missing.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Regina put the finishing touches on the fifth lasagna before putting them all in the large commercial oven. The garlic bread was wrapped in foil, ready for its own placement as soon as the lasagna came out. Four dozen apple turnovers, all laid out on baking sheets, awaited their turn once the main meal was cooked. She put the preparation dishes in the huge triple sink to soak, so her oldest son could perform his duties, once he arrived home from school. She then set the timer for 55 minutes from now and poured herself a tall iced tea, before settling just outside the kitchen on the back side of the huge wrap around porch. The giant Bed and Breakfast has found its home in the Author's old house, after Granny's had burned down the day Ruby left with Mulan. Sensing that her life was at a crossroads, Granny had jumped realms and sought out life with her two granddaughters, one biological and the other by love's default. After a few hard months of life without lasagna, the townsfolk had convinced Regina that her cooking was the next best thing to Granny's, and a new line of work for the former Mayor was born.

"I'm home!" Roland called out as he entered. He made his way through the house and out the back door, giving his mother a solid kiss on the head.

She smiled up at him, a slight sadness in her eyes as she wondered at the years now behind them. Hard to believe nearly 15 had passed since that fateful fire at Granny's. "How was school?" she asked, taking a sip of her tea.

"Meh, it was school. I'll be back down to tackle the dishes after I change." Roland strode away, his long legs making short work of the stairs up to his room on the third floor.

Regina sighed, he was almost a man. Sometimes she badly missed the days when he looked up at her with those innocent brown eyes and asked for ice cream. Not that he never asked for ice cream now, but he could reach the freezer just fine and didn't need her for such menial tasks anymore.

A few short minutes later, she heard him clanging around in the kitchen, singing some version of what she swore was an oldie remade. Once she recognized the tune, Regina began singing the harmony line along with him. Their voices carried through the house, greeting the youngest occupant of the household, as he too, arrived home from school. His still childlike tenor mixed in with his mother's alto and his brother's base, in perfect three part harmony. Raffe took his place in the doorway between the kitchen and the porch, and was soon joined by his sister who'd trailed just a bit behind from the school bus. Rylynn's strong soprano was added to the group, and they were in full acapella mode, the only sounds of percussion coming from the clanging of the dishes as Roland finished them up. They didn't stop at that one song. As soon as the last note was sung, one of them began a new song, random and unexpected, but each reveling in the time spent enjoying each other in this fashion. Smiles spread from ear to ear as they challenged each other with a new song, time after time. Their performance was finally cut short by the timer for the lasagna. A rousing round of whistles and applause sounded from the inside entry to the kitchen.

"Oh, Daddy." Rylynn gushed and gave Robin a big hug.

"You four are always magnificent," he beamed as he made his way over to help Regina take the lasagnas out of the oven and hand her the garlic breads. Once the oven was closed, he placed a lasting kiss to her lips, which had Raffe scuttling away up the stairs, Rylynn gazing at them with adoring eyes, and Roland spouting about "getting a room."

The sounds of the bell on the front door announcing visitors, pulled them apart. "Guess I'd best get to the bar." Robin stated. "Leroy will surely be cross if I don't have his usual ready by the time he perches on the stool."

"I'll be out in a minute." Regina smiled at him as she turned back to the timer and set it for 15.

By the time the bread was done, they had a full house. Friday nights were always packed, partly because it was lasagna night and partly because all the beer on tap was half price all night until close at midnight. They also had two pool tables and a row of dart boards. Many of them got together for betting, fun, or just to let off steam from the long work week. There was never any trouble from anyone. The biggest disturbance usually came when Leroy had reached his beer quota and started blowing pepper at Tom. The raucous laughter from Leroy was always a signal for Robin to stop serving him. The one and only time he complained, Regina had threatened to cut him off from ever again having her lasagna. Needless to say, Leroy learned to bite his tongue after that.

Once the lasagna was decimated, along with the garlic bread and the turnovers, the Hood family made short work of the cleanup by all five pitching in. With dishwashers filled and running, and baking pans cleaned and set out to dry, they all made their way to the main gathering area. Regina sat on one of the couches with ten year old Raffe tucked against her side.

"Can we go out hunting tomorrow?" he asked, trying to stifle a yawn.

"I don't see why not. Did you find all your arrows from last time?" Regina ran her fingers through his hair, absentmindedly.

Raffe yawned and nodded. "All in my quiver, hanging on the hook of my closet d…."

Regina felt, as well as heard, him drop off into an immediate, dead sleep. She closed her eyes and laid her cheek against the top of his head. "I love you, my little man." The only answer to her statement was a soft steady stream of breath, in and out.

Robin approached them and put his hand on her cheek. "I'll take him up," he spoke as he lifted him up and away from his mother.

Regina nodded and made her way over to a small table where her daughter was shuffling a deck of cards. "Best of three?" Regina asked.

Rylynn beamed at her and nodded vigorously. At 13, Rylynn was a bit too old to be caught snuggling on the couch with her mother, but not quite old enough to hang around the pool tables with a bunch of drinking dwarves. Besides, she didn't really like pool all that much. The game of cribbage that her mother had taught her to play was much more to her liking. Rylynn cut the deck, then shuffled and dealt, while Regina set up the board and pegs.

"Raffe wants to go out hunting tomorrow. You game?" Regina asked after their second round, which left them each with one win.

"Of course!" Rylynn smiled. "I love our family outings. Plus, I think it's about time I got over the trauma of shooting Thumper and thought of it more as learning survival."

Regina smiled at her enthusiasm. It made her heart feel good to know that her daughter hadn't outgrown all their bonding times. She knew Roland would go along as well, and Robin would never turn down time spent in the woods shooting arrows at trees, not to mention it just being the five of them. Those were the best moments of all.

"Ya gotta eat whatcha kill." Regina warned.

Rylynn started to wrinkle her nose, then had second thoughts. "No problem. Can we make a fire and cook whatever outside?"

"We most certainly can." Regina grinned.

Regina won the third round mostly by default because Rylynn was slipping. Her eyelids were drooping, and she kept missing opportunities for points. Regina tried to cut her some slack, but figured it was best to just go in for the easy kill and give her daughter the chance to head up to bed.

"G'night, Mom." Rylynn kissed her cheek before climbing up the stairs shortly before 11.

Regina noticed Robin and Roland were having a game of pool, so she poured herself a whiskey and perched on a stool by their table. She watched the next two games as Roland sank ball after ball, whipping his father but good.

Robin threw in the towel after that. "I give."

Roland grinned impishly at him.

Regina stood up and wrapped her arms around Robin's waist from behind. "Maybe you two can try another challenge tomorrow. Raffe wants to go hunting."

Robin smiled and turned his head to kiss her gently on the lips. "Music to my ears."

"I'm in, Papa," Roland said before giving Robin a man-hug and kissing Regina on the cheek. Then he headed on up to bed.

The rest of the visitors had either retired to their rooms, or gone home for the night. Regina and Robin found themselves alone. "Do you want another whiskey?" Robin asked her before pouring himself a glass.

"Yes, please." Regina held out her glass for a refill.

They stood across the bar from each other, sipping their drinks in companionable silence. They'd learned long ago that no words were needed in order for them to communicate. Robin stretched out his hand and twined his wife's fingers with his own. The gentle rubbing of his thumb on her wrist turned more demanding as they emptied their glasses. Robin pulled Regina's hand to his face, turned her palm over, and kissed her wrist. He was encouraged by a low rumble that emitted from her throat. His teeth found the tender flesh where his lips just vacated, but Regina was having none of the slow torture tonight. She quickly stood on the rung of the stool and stretched her body across the bar, capturing Robin's mouth hungrily with her own. He wasted no time coming around the bar and grabbing her up in his arms. They kissed and touched their way up four flights of stairs to the attic that they had transformed into their private suite of rooms. Regina caught a glimpse of the beautiful full moon casting its muted light across the field before being swallowed up by the woods. Then she was on her back, on their king sized bed, seeing stars, not only from the view of the night sky beyond their skylight, but from the wonderful sensations her husband was creating in her body.

Three hours later, Regina lay encircled in her husband's arms, listening to his quiet breathing. Satiated, but unable to fall asleep, Regina watched the stars twinkle in the night sky. As she lightly rubbed her thumb over the lion tattoo on Robin's wrist, she mused that she had everything she ever wanted. The love of her life, three wonderful kids, the respect and support of those around her. Why, she wondered to herself, oh why, was there an emptiness in the hollow of her throat that she could not seem to swallow or purge. Why did it seem like there was something missing?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Ptchoo." Emma made a noise with her mouth as a stream of magic let loose from her index finger. The unlucky squirrel in the line of fire, jumped no less than a foot in the air before scrambling up a tree and chattering away angrily in her direction.

"10 points," Emma spoke to her rocking companion.

Regina sat just to her right, in one of their matching gliders stationed on the back porch of the log cabin. Both chairs pointed toward the large expanse of lawn, field, and eventual forest.

"You'd think we'd find something better to do," Regina muttered as she scanned the grass, looking for her own target.

"Like what, we've done it all!" Emma scoffed.

Regina couldn't help but agree with her. They had been through everything together. Mothers, fathers, boyfriends, kids, dragons, imps, curses, hell, realms, and the list went on and on. Finally, after all these years, it was just the two of them. She guessed it was the magic coursing through their veins that kept them alive long after everyone else finally managed to grow old and die, or meet their demise through some course of fate or other. At this point, Regina couldn't decide whether it was a curse or a blessing. At times she felt it was both. It felt good to have nothing left to fight over or about or for. But that was also the bad – nothing left to fight for. Their existence had turned into one of menial tasks - sleep, eat, bathe, play magic-poppers with the wildlife in their back yard, repeat.

"That rabbit's looking right at you, Emma." Regina pointed to one pitch black hare, standing on its hind legs, nose twitching, eyes burning a hole through Emma's forehead.

Emma looked across the yard, tipping the foot that was propped up on the ottoman in front of her to the side to get a better view. "Oh." She sounded minutely bored with just a hint of surprise. "I think that's Hook."

Regina whipped her head around to stare at Emma. "What? I thought you said he died after the darkness left him."

Emma shrugged, still bored with the subject. "Well, I lied. I changed him into a rabbit the moment that darkness was gone. I felt a little sorry for him, and I also thought he'd be much more useful that way. Look at the bright side, if that is him, his droppings fertilize the gardens very well."

"Emma!" Regina tried to scold, but the second syllable came out as a chuckle.

"Then again, maybe that's why we had such a bad crop of cucumbers this year. Ptchoo." Emma let loose another stream of magic, this time with much more choo! The rabbit disintegrated into a puff of ash. Emma leaned up in her chair a bit. "Was that a miniature hook that just fell to the grass?" She sat back, reaching for her glass of apple cider. "Meh, I'll check it out later."

Regina actually leaned forward in her own chair to try and see if something did drop from the rabbit when Emma disintegrated it. "I need to get you out more often," Regina spoke to her as she leaned back again.

"Why? That was worth 50 points. I'm 60 points ahead right now. Best day ever." Emma knocked back her drink.

"I thought the best day ever was when Eden was born, followed by the next best day ever when Adelle was born." Regina phrased it as a question, prompting Emma to remember the births of their two children.

Emma sighed a big huff. "Yeah, those were once. Our only two children were the lights of my life. But then they went and jumped realms on us, Regina. Which became Worst day ever. I'm still not over it. Ptchoo." Emma uttered as she shocked a chipmunk into running headlong into a rock. "20 points. You're slacking."

Regina reached out and took Emma's hand. Emma's fingers curled into hers and a small smile graced her lips. Regina looked at her sidelong, issuing a smile of her own. Emma might be vocally complaining, but Regina knew she was happy on the inside. They both were. As for Eden and Adelle, well, they had their own lives to live, their own adventures, their own fate to face. It wasn't as if they never stopped by Storybrooke to see their moms. Regina and Emma both enjoyed every nuance of their stories, reveled in the successes and failures, each one a reminder of the long years in which they spent in their own exploits. Both girls were adept at magic, though Eden tended a bit more toward the darker side. Adelle loved meddling in the love lives of anyone she could find, stoking fires within their hearts, and making them give up their innermost deepened desires. That was just a side business though, most of her magic escapades centered on her ability to find lost things and return them to their rightful place in a world, or realm, or even time. She was the daughter they saw the most.

Eden was a master of potions, curses, and blessings. She'd been known to dabble with a dark curse every now and then, subjecting the recipient to loss or pain. Her justification of the curses was that she never used them on the innocent, only the criminally minded, in an attempt to give them a chance to turn their life around, a chance at redemption. Eden was rather altruistic, all things being said. She loved doling out blessings to the unfortunate, and mastering new potions to change the hearts of those who were destined for evil before they got a chance to act. Eden was a bit more scarce than her sister, but Emma and Regina both believed it had more to do with her not wanting to remind them of the darkness that had once claimed their lives, rather than any shame she herself felt at her actions. Eden would eventually understand that even though the darkness was once all-consuming for her mothers, it would never be again. The darkest it got now were the times Emma chose to actually disintegrate a target and not just startle it, or when Regina turned the trees into talking, walking zombies in order to mock-terrorize the town on Halloween. And to be fair, Emma only disintegrated when a creature was sick or wounded, or in this case looked like Hook. As well, the townsfolk had come to expect the zombie trees, and all would be sorely disappointed if she stopped their fun.

"What are you thinking?" Emma broke their silence.

"About our girls," Regina responded easily.

Emma's smile deepened. "I miss them. It's about time for them to make a trip home, wouldn't you say?" She eyed another target, this time stirring up some leaves and exposing a hidey-hole to the chipmunk she'd run into the rock earlier.

Regina squeezed her hand, noticing the act of kindness and recognizing that Emma was coming out of the self-imposed funk she sometimes got herself in. "Yes, but you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?" Regina turned her head to capture the blue eyes she knew would turn to her in a few scant seconds.

Emma obliged her, shrugged her shoulders, and grinned as wide as her mouth would allow. "Why not? It's been a while since we gave our girls a challenge." She leaned forward in her chair, her features transforming into the Emma who'd taken a chainsaw to Regina's apple tree.

Regina tossed her head back and laughed whole heartedly. Returning her gaze to Emma's, she too had transformed into the woman who responded to the apple tree challenge. "Let's do it."

They both got up and directed their magic toward the sky, white and red sizzling, crackling, cutting the air with a visible and audible pop. "It's time to come home, little ones!" Their voices rang out together.

Once the challenge was issued, Emma and Regina disappeared into a puff of smoke to await their daughters' return for a rousing game of magical hide and seek. Just before their teleportation, Regina marveled at how much fun and how fantastic their lives were. Yet, there was an aching in her heart that longed for something more, something that was missing.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Regina opened her eyes to see a curling mist rolling over her head. Confused, she propped up on her elbows and gazed around her. She was lying on a stone slab in the middle of what could only be termed as a witches hut. There was definitely a cauldron brewing over the fire in the fireplace, and bottles and bottles of different colored liquids, all lined up neatly on the floor to ceiling shelves that graced one entire side of the room. She recognized nothing. Listening for any sounds that might alert her as to her whereabouts, Regina also found that she heard nothing. There were no animal sounds, no telltale signs of life outside the four walls she was housed in. She slung her legs over the edge of the slab and sat up.

"I see you're finally awake. Did you find a life that suited you in there?" The voice sounded from the opposite side of the room, a voice Regina neither recognized nor could pinpoint.

She squinted into the mist. "Who's there? Show yourself." She demanded.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I thought we'd be past this by now, but if you insist." And suddenly a face appeared in the wall, just a face, perfectly camouflaged by the wall's wooden texture, in fact it was made from the wood itself, but now it was in 3D.

If Regina reached out her hand, she could pinch the nose, or flick the lips, perhaps jab a finger in the eyes. However, she did none of these things, merely leaned forward to get a closer look. "Who are you?" Her tone was much more inquisitive this time, and she actually wondered if she might be dreaming.

"No, you're not dreaming." The face spoke. "Oh, don't look so alarmed, I can hear everything you're thinking, so to speak, even though I don't have ears. Which, in fact, makes listening a bit of a challenge, but that's neither here nor there. Anyway, I'm Nordin, and I'm hurt you don't remember me." Nordin's lips took on a little pout.

Regina shook her head, trying to make sense of what was going on. "I have no idea where I am or how I got here and I especially have no recollection of you." She tried to remember if she'd fallen down a rabbit hole, or stepped through the looking glass, or maybe ate the wrong mushroom from her storehouse of rare ingredients. Then she tried to remember the last thing she could remember, and found that she couldn't do that either.

"Did you pick one?" Nordin asked.

"I beg your pardon?" Regina replied shaking her head. "Pick one what?"

"Life. The four realities you just experienced, you get your choice you know. Not many people who come to the Fields of Punishment get a second chance to transport to Elysium. But, you're one of the lucky ones. I can't wait to see which you pick!" Nordin beamed, his excitement growing by the second.

Regina's lips were trying to work, but no noise was coming from them. "Bu…. Wha…..I'm… How…Fields of Punishment? Elysium? How did I die? When did I die? Why can't I remember?" Regina seemed almost panicked, her voice an octave higher than normal, and her eyes darting around the room.

"Oh, yes. That's right. Now I'm the forgetful one. I must apologize. Falderly said this would happen. No heart, no memories. Well, we make due with what we have." Nordin was almost apologetic in his tone, but he seemed to dismiss his failings a bit too easily for Regina.

With a huff, Regina put her face close to Nordin's and demanded answers. "Who is Falderly? What do you mean 'no heart'? And just what am I doing here?"

Nordin had the decency to look embarrassed at his shortcomings. "Yes, well, you see… you died. In the most heroic way possible. But you ended up here, though here is not exactly the place for you. It would have been Tartarus had you not made recompense for all your dastardly deeds back in the day, but since you spent the last few years of your life, and well the first couple decades too, I guess, in relative decency, you managed to escape Tartarus and land here. Here wouldn't have been too bad, you see, but you got a free pass from Falderly, who by the way, is the ruler of The Fields of Punishment, to go onto Elysium. All you have to do is pick your reality and then you get shipped off, without sails, of course."

Regina closed her eyes and shook her head, as if the action might somehow rattle Nordin's brains enough to keep his vocalizations on task. "What did you mean, 'no heart'?" she asked one more time after eyeballing Nordin once more.

"Oh dear, well, there is that, you see. That was your heroic deed, the sacrificing of your heart so that another may live. Of course that meant you had to die, because well, your heart can't keep you alive when it beats in another's chest. Unfortunately, or maybe that is the real fortune, you lose your memories, but you get to create new ones, those that will make you the happiest you've ever been. And don't worry about not having that heart in your chest in order for you to feel. You have, after all, the heart with the most resilience. You can still feel, but you just can't live." Nordin poured out the explanation so quickly that Regina almost couldn't keep up. Almost.

Her eyes trailed off to the side, searching for answers, clues, trying to see something that just wasn't there. Who would be important enough for her to relinquish her heart? Precious enough for her to sacrifice her own life? "Who?" Regina finally spoke aloud.

Nordin pursed his lips shut, opened his eyes wide, and attempted to take on a look of pure innocence. It would have been comical if the damned circumstances weren't so confounding. "I don't know! Only you do, but you don't, now do you, of course. Just move on, try to embrace what has eluded you for decades. Take comfort in knowing you finally get your happy ending." Then Nordin snapped his mouth shut, as if he'd just divulged too much.

Regina didn't miss a beat. "Happy ending? I'm dead. Is that supposed to be happy? And why is this, Falderly, giving me a free pass. I thought once you died your destination was eternal. Aren't the Fields of Punishment and Elysium from mythology? Being human, shouldn't I be in hell? I don't believe I'm goddess material." She tried to reason it all out.

Nordin made a high pitched sound, as if to argue that point. "Um, there are those who would disagree with you on that account, but you're not in the truest sense of the word. So, no, I suppose you aren't. In any case, you're a fairy tale character. Your options are different from mythological figures or regular humans. Perks, my dear, perks. That life you couldn't seem to manage in fairy tale land is yours for the taking here. Here you get to control your destiny."

"I was in control before!" Regina demanded.

"Ummm, hmmm, no you weren't."

"I wasn't?"

"You tell me."

Regina tried to remember, tried to recall anything from her former life, but the only memories were of the four scenarios presented to her in a dream state. She was missing something, as in all the scenarios, something important, something precious, something she didn't want to forget, something she wanted back. Who did she have that was important enough to sacrifice her life for, to give her heart to? They were worth remembering, if they were worth giving up her life. Regina wanted to remember, she wanted to know, she wanted the "who".


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Regina stood at the potions wall, reading the individual bottle labels. She had no idea how long she'd been at it, perhaps it really didn't matter. Time had no meaning here, no influence on one's life. Ha! She scoffed to herself, what life? She was dead, like she needed a reminder.

"You know, you could save yourself the torture if you just chose one of the endings already presented to you. Falderly ships you off to Elysium and you forget you were ever here!" Nordin was doing his best to not sound impatient.

"What do you care?" Regina asked as she squinted to see the labels on the bottles near the top of the shelves. "Am I keeping you from something?"

"Not in the least." Nordin smacked his lips together. "You're my charge. I stay until you've moved on."

"Well, you're outlasting your usefulness as far as I'm concerned. Feel free to absorb back into the woodwork anytime." Regina snarked with a wave of her hand in Nordin's direction. Just then she came across a bottle labeled "worry-free". Something about that struck a chord.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Nordin warned, his voice held a darkened edge, a noticeable change from his usual comedic tone.

Regina didn't miss the nuance. "What's not? You leaving me alone or me checking out that potion?"

"Both." Came the monotone reply.

Regina knew the obnoxious face was hiding something. There was definitely more to this existence than she was originally led to believe. For instance, why would there be anything here at all, if all she was supposed to do was sleep, dream, and choose. Why were there potions? What was brewing over the fire? Regina took a step toward the cauldron and waved a hand through the steam that was wafting up from the pot. It wasn't hot. Then something suddenly occurred to her.

Turning to face Nordin, Regina narrowed her eyes at him. "You said, 'one of the endings already presented to me,' those aren't the only four choices, are they?"

Nordin was back to his comedic eye-popping, lip pursing self. "Well, they are the best choices. If you choose not to choose, then you're stuck here. And trust me, here is not the where you want to be. Quite a boring existence, I would think, if I were the thinking type, but I'm just the messenger, you see."

Regina shook her head at his riddle-ese, which was how she was beginning to think of Nordin's ramblings. "So, what you're saying is that I can remain here indefinitely, or choose one of the dreams."

"No, no. You have to choose before Falderly grows impatient and chooses for you. That's part of the rules, you see. There are few here, and you were given the pass, but you still have to follow." Nordin sputtered, sounding a bit flustered.

Regina smiled at him. She'd gotten what she wanted. Apparently, there was a time constraint, though she didn't understand why. Something here was the key to her remembering. Regina went back to reading the potions on the shelves and rolling over the conversations she and Nordin already had.

After a while, Regina saw another bottle that struck a nerve, "memory-potion." She wondered if that was one to restore memories or take them away. She was also beginning to wonder what would happen if she drank any of them. It wasn't as if they would kill her! Perhaps they would have no effect whatsoever. Just then she could have sworn she heard whispering. Regina spun around, hands backwards on her hips, eyes glaring at Nordin. However, the sounds weren't coming from him. His eyes were closed, face tipped a bit to the side, lips parted slightly, a string of drool dangling from the corner of his mouth. Obviously, he was sleeping.

Regina cocked her head to listen. She could definitely hear whispering. Looking around, she determined it seemed louder closer to the cauldron. Regina silently stepped up to the black, steaming pot and peered inside. What she saw made her draw back in surprise. Then, without any further thought, Regina plunged her head into the contents of the pot. The pot rejected her infiltrating its personal space and spewed her across the room. Just before she blacked out, Regina realized she'd landed on the stone slab. Chopping block – were her final thoughts as the light went out in her eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 _"What is wrong with you!" The first voice whispered._

 _"I told you it wouldn't work. She's a lot more stubborn than you remember. She has a lot to live for, a lot of love still left inside her. I warned you, and you chose not to listen." The second voice whispered in response._

 _"It was simple! You had one, ONE job. Convince her. And you can't even do that! What happened to you?" Whisper one accused._

 _"I think you're missing the reality here. It's not about what happened to me, it's about what happened to her. She loved you, beyond all reason. She would have done anything for you, at one time; and she did. She's changed, and at this point, there's only one thing that will stop her from getting everything that eluded you while you were among the living." Whisper two attempted to convince Whisper one this was futile._

 _"Then crush it!" Whisper one was enraged._

 _"That, dearie, I will not do."_

Regina could hear them. She couldn't open her eyes, or wake up, or whatever one did while lying on a stone slab after being blasted by an irritable cauldron in a witches hut in The Fields of Punishment, but she could hear them. The whispers made it difficult to discern who they might be, but the last utterance was somehow familiar.

"Come on, I think it's this way." A new voice broke through the fog in Regina's brain. Still, she couldn't seem to revive.

"As long as we aren't found out, son, we have plenty of time." Another new voice sounded.

Oh, she wished she could wake up! The voices seemed familiar and comforting, unlike the whispers. The whispers were confusing and threatening. She wasn't scared, but she was powerless, and that annoyed her.

"Here we are!" The first voice was back and closer than ever.

"What now?" The second voice questioned.

 _"Wake me up!"_ Regina wanted to scream, but she couldn't. What was in that cauldron?!

"Can you do this?" Voice one inquired.

"I don't know how. Only she and her mother had the magic." The second voice sounded distressed. "Please don't tell me we've gotten this far just to fail. I've failed her too much."

"I have an idea." The first voice spoke.

Regina felt her hand being held and lifted from its lying spot next to her body. Then she felt something warm placed in it. Foreign fingers wrapped around hers and tightened on the object placed in her hand. They gave a tiny squeeze and Regina felt her chest catch.

"Do you have the river water, uh fire?" Voice one asked.

"Yes, Phlegethon will counteract the water from the Lethe she drank."

"Okay, but just one drop, on her lips, like we were told."

Regina felt something hot against her lips, then the single drop of liquid seeped into her mouth and she tasted the hotness. Then, she felt two sets of lips press to either side of her head on each temple. She swallowed and found she could open her eyes. Her eyes looked to the left.

"Daddy." Regina breathed, then looked right. "Henry." She still lay on the slab, smiling up at them, her teeth sunk into her bottom lip, as a single tear fell from the corner of each eye. The something warm in her hand, Regina tipped her head up just a bit, was her heart. Henry's fingers were still wrapped around her own.

"Put it back, Mom." Henry urged.

Regina held out her other hand to her father who took it in his own. With both of their loving touches, Regina slipped her heart back into her chest and gasped a deep breath. Then she reached out and put an arm around each of them and pulled them to her. After a few moments, they broke from the hug and Regina sat up.

"What's going on?" She asked them. Her memories were back, but she found she was having trouble recalling the most immediate that would give her answers to this whole experience. Before they could speak, something drew her to the cauldron. Regina got up from the slab and peered over the steam once again, and it all came flooding back.

They had gone to the Underworld. As trips to hell went, this one seemed fairly innocuous, and their mission was a success. Regina and Henry were the last in line of those leaving after helping Emma retrieve Hook. They were just about to step through, when something grabbed Henry and yanked him back. Regina had abandoned her forward motion, immediately, and ran to her son. There was an iron stake through his chest, right where his heart was.

"Noo!" She screamed, panicked. She had protected his heart, she'd surrounded it with magic! Nothing was supposed to be able to steal it. And then she realized, stealing and penetrating were two completely different things. She noticed Hades standing over her, a saddened expression on his face.

"My son cannot die! He had no part in any of this. Who did this?" Regina wrenched out, pulling Henry into her arms.

Hades shook his head. "I do not know, but I am sorry."

"No, no." Regina choked out through her sobs. She shook her head, denial overwhelming her. "Henry, please. Come back to me." She put her forehead against his as her hot tears flowed like a river over his face.

Desperate, she looked up to Hades. "He can have mine. I will take his place. Just, please, let my son live." At that moment, Regina reached into her chest and pulled out her heart. Hades nodded an affirmation and pulled the stake out from Henry's chest and with it his heart. Regina plunged her heart into his chest and the world went dark.

Regina straightened and went to Henry, fresh tears threatening her cheeks. "I don't understand. You were dead. I gave you my heart."

Henry stepped closer to her and took her hands in his. "It wasn't me, Mom. Cora had orchestrated this elaborate plan to make you think it was me, so you would give up your heart."

Frowning, Regina shook her head. "Why?"

Henry Sr. spoke up. "Your mother found a way out of here, but someone had to willingly sacrifice their life and hand over their heart for her to do it."

"She talked Rumpelstiltskin into helping her create the ruse of my death and had you brought here to try and get you to cross over." Henry interjected.

"Where is here?" Regina questioned, confusion etched on her face.

"The edge of the Underworld, between our world and theirs, the fine line between the living and the dead." Henry answered with the same tone as if she'd asked what time it was.

Regina seemed to finally catch up. "So, my heart was never truly in anyone else's chest?"

Henry shook his head. "She couldn't use it until you had completely let go."

The rest fell into place. "That wasn't the only ruse she invented. Someone gave me forgetting potion."

Henry Sr. interrupted her, "No, you drank from the River Lethe so you could cross over."

Regina snickered, "But I wasn't going. Those dreams were just fabrications Rumple put in my subconscious to trick me into a false happy ending. Yet, none of them were the end I sought. Something was missing, something I couldn't ignore or let go of." She turned to her son. "That something was you."

Henry reached out and hugged his mother. She held him at arm's length. "Why are you here alone?"

"Because no one thinks I can do this, but you."

Before another word could be spoken, the walls of the witches hut began crumbling in on themselves.

"Oh bother!" Came a cry from one wall, and Regina realized that whatever else Nordin was, he was nearing the end of this existence.

"Come, we must hurry." Henry Sr. grabbed Regina's arm, and in turn, Regina grabbed Henry's hand and the three of them ran out and away from the hut. Henry Sr. spoke to his grandson, without looking back at him. "Henry, do you remember how to get back?"

"I do, grandfather." Henry squeezed his mother's hand, twining their fingers tighter.

"Then, when we get there, go quickly, and don't look back." Henry Sr. commanded.

His tone took Regina a bit by surprise because he'd always been so meek and soft-spoken during the course of their lives. Perhaps death changed a person. She chanced a look back from where they came and noticed there was no longer a hut, nor any remnants of one. Turning her head back around, she saw her mother in the distance. Henry Sr. made a sharp right and tugged them into a rock tunnel.

"Um," Regina uttered, worriedly, when they came to a dead end.

"Not to worry, child. It's not what you think," her father spoke gently to her.

Regina stepped up close to him, tears glistening in her eyes. "Daddy. I am so sorry for what I did to you."

Henry Sr. put a finger to Regina's lips. "Hush. It's done." Then tilting his head toward Henry he added, "I know how much you love and miss me. All is forgiven, my daughter. Take care of your son."

Regina flung herself into his arms and sobbed against his shoulder as they hugged for the final time. Henry Sr. eased her away when the sounds of pursuit rang in their ears. "Now, go. There's not much time."

"But, Daddy, you can't stand against her," Regina pleaded.

Henry Sr. held his head high and placed a hand on her cheek. "I can, and I will. I will do, now, what I should have done a long time ago – protect you. I love you, Regina."

"I love you too, Daddy." Regina kissed his palm before taking Henry's hand. Just before the two of them stepped through the false rock wall, they heard Cora's voice.

"What have you done?" She growled.

"What I should have done all those years ago. I'm setting my daughter free." Henry Sr. spoke as the air around them flashed white.

Regina and Henry found themselves on the edge of the pond in Storybrooke. There was still a lot for Regina to sort out, but that could wait. Her heart was both heavy and glad. Glad for not losing Henry, yet heavy at losing her father, once again.

Henry broke through her reverie. "So, you had your choice of happy endings in there, huh?"

Smiling, Regina linked an arm through his. "Yep, but none of them were right. None of them had you." She tilted her head at him. "I've found friendship, love, and respect with the people here in Storybrooke. But, Henry, you have always been my happy ending, even when I didn't quite understand what that meant, it was still you. All the rest are just gumballs on the gingerbread house."

Together, they walked toward home, and Regina was secure in the sense that nothing was missing at all.


End file.
